Step 1- Swab Throat
Step 2- Isolate the “Bug”
Step 3- Break mind into 2 parts–1 part focusing on the genetic makeup of the “bug” and the other on Joss Whedon’s power of awesome.
Step 4- Destroy “bug” with said awesomeness

Ok, this is not right, the self proclaimed prophet of Whedon should be beyond poor earthly sickness. The followers of Whedon demand that the prophet of our religion cast out the demons created by FOX and get back to work promoting the goodness that is Firefly.

speaking of someone else’s cleverness… harlan ellison once said ‘you know you’re a writer when a writer tells you you’re a writer.’ and i am one. sortof. in my native language, at least. so, for what it’s worth coming from me:

“you are a writer”

[snakefist considers this matter closed. he felt an urge to write this down. without going into technicalities regarding... anything. snakefist needs no answer, he never does. he's quite mad, you know]

This is one of my favorite quotes the last couple years, and I have shared it with multiple people. Like Brain, I have it printed and on my desk. I haven’t ever seen this video version. Thanks for sharing Pat.

Feel better soon, Pat! This pediatrician recommends probiotics. Sure, you could go with the classic yogurt, but consider kefir or creme fraiche. Even cooler, try to find some naturally fermented vegetables. Sauerkraut is classic (but if it’s been canned it is now dead to you) but kimchi is also good. In my fridge right now I have fermented collards and fermented celery. You’d have to get these from a friend, or maybe a health food store.

Or, if you prefer higher tech solutions, even Walgreens carries probiotic capsules. You can give the powder inside those capsules to Oot sprinkled onto applesauce or yogurt. I give a kid over 3 one capsule twice a day. Taking in a good probiotic will get your gut flora back to normal faster.

Please feel better soon. I hate to think that you are sick. Thank you for the video it is very true … even though writing sounds like a lot of work it is always worth the effort in the end. If you hadn’t persisted through this phase, well, the world would be a very dull and dismal place.

I don’t want to be a downer, but does anyone else not really care for this quote?

I’m a big fan if Ira Glass, and I’m fully behind the primary message being expressed here: Everyone sucks at first, power through.

But, I really really dislike the whole “good taste” part.

Everyone with any serious interest in an artistic endeavor believes they have “good taste” to some extent.

There is no one. No One. Staying up into the early morning hours, working on their novel, who thinks they have crappy taste.

To me, it feels as though Glass is saying, to some extent: You’re special, you’ve got “taste,” if you just keep at it, your genius will be revealed to the world.

And that really doesn’t fit with the legion of teenage girls churning out twilight knockoffs, or even more “serious” twenty-somethings working tirelessly, who will simply never have what it takes.

People get into writing for a myriad of different reasons. I don’t think “good taste” is even particularly high on the list.

It just feels like Glass is trying to give his audience a feeling that they are somehow special. The encouragement is good, and a large part of this advice is good, but the notion of “good taste” marking us out is ridiculous at best and dangerous at worst.

I assume Glass is smart enough to realise that good taste alone is not enough to qualify one to be an artist, or that one must be destined to be an artist if they have good taste. Good taste is the cause for the artist’s dissatisfaction with work that doesn’t live up to their ambition.

I didn’t feel he was trying to make me feel special. Rather, he acknowledged my (and probably many other artists’) feelings that nothing we do is as good as we know it could be– and that that feeling alone is not ‘proof’ that we’re not good enough for something we’re so passionate about.

Thanks for this. I may not have your wordy powers nor do I aspire to the heights of literary awesomeness, but I am a young aviator struggling to learn how to fly. I appreciate the reminder that being bad at something when you’re a beginner is okay. Instead of mastering everything today, I’ll just try to suck less tomorrow.